Usopp to the Rescue
by Lady Karasu
Summary: In which Usopp mans up and runs away. No, really.  Pre-timeskip


Title: Usopp to the Rescue  
>Rating: PG-ish<br>Characters/Pairing: Zoro+Usopp (but slashgoggle friendly)  
>Word Count: 2139<br>Notes: giftfic for Dethorats. Also, pre-timeskip (obviously)  
>Originally posted to Livejournal: 915/11

oOoOo

They weren't stopping on this island for long – just a quick supply run, and to stretch the legs a bit. The town wasn't that big, in any case – just a few shops, houses and a bar that apparently doubled as a restaurant when ships were in port. Only one other ship occupied the dock when they arrived – a small, sleek thing built more for speed than anything. There didn't seem to be anything notable about it, and no one obvious on board, so it was barely noticed.

The plan was to be on their way before nightfall – about 6 hours or so to go land-side before leaving port. Chopper and Franky pulled watch, and everyone else scattered as soon as the anchor dropped.

Usopp was in no particular rush, trailing behind a bit - so he noticed when everyone else headed towards the town, and their resident swordsman listed towards the path entering the woods. He was pretty sure this was unintentional, and feeling magnanimous, followed at a bit of a distance just to make sure the other man didn't get too lost. There wasn't much he needed in town, anyway, and time off the ship was time off the ship however he took it.

In any case, the day was nice, and the walk pleasant – listening to nature, and remembering fondly the previous adventures of the Usopp Pirates. The path itself seemed to take a convenient, circular route around the town; crisscrossing every so often with another path heading deeper into the woods. Gratefully, Zoro never wandered off the main trail, or stopped to confront him, and Usopp figured that if his assumption was correct, they should be back at the harbor within an hour or so.

The key, he found over time – was to be quiet, but not actively try to sneak up on the larger man. It seemed Zoro would just subconsciously write him off as not-a-threat, and if he didn't draw attention to himself by being too loud, his conscious didn't notice him either. As far as he could tell, this only worked for the crew, and he wondered at how the other's mind could tell it was one of them without actually 'noticing' them, when someone he didn't know getting close would set him instantly to be on guard.

He thinks he's the only one to really notice – although the rest just seem to assume Zoro would never lash out at them, regardless of the occasionally extreme conditions of their meeting (Luffy immediately comes to mind). The only exception to this was Sanji, but he figures that had more to do with the heavy healed wakeup calls- and in all fairness, he doesn't start with 'lashing out' in these cases, either; it's usually a block until the cook makes the next move, or moves on.

He chuckled softly at the thought, and how much he's really analyzed it over time. Looking back, he couldn't tell when it occurred to him that it was happening, or to reason it out, but he liked to understand things, and as far as he could tell, Zoro's _very healthy_ (if somewhat skewed) self-preservation instincts had them all pretty well written off as safe.

Which was… touching, really, considering the swordsman's personality; that he trusted them all that much, even with all the pranking that happened on board after too long at sea- at some level not to feel any need for defenses against them.

It was with this thought in mind that Usopp's own self-preservation instincts kicked in. When he heard something big moving ahead of them, his first reaction was to hide; under cover almost before he realized what he was doing. Looking to check after his unknowing companion, he rationalized - if it was a bear or something, Zoro would be perfectly fine on his own and he didn't want to – erm, gang up on it, since it would obviously stand no chance against the Great Captain Usopp, long known as one of the greatest hunters in the land! And… yes, hiding was good.

So when three men of suspicious intentions came into view, Usopp was well and conveniently concealed. They sauntered onto the path ahead of Zoro, obviously confident and perhaps a bit cocky. One was rather burly, bearish, seemed the type to spend his time in a bar; dark scruffy hair covering head and face. The other two were more gangly – one with subtle muscles, the other more wiry; both unkempt in that couldn't-be-bothered sort of way.

The big man said something in low tones, lip curling evilly, and the thinner man added to it with a nasty grin. He couldn't make out what they said, but the swordsman shifted slightly, one hand resting warningly on his katana. Straining, Usopp couldn't work out his reply, either, but by the tone of his voice, he knew Zoro was giving them that smirk, ready – anticipating the fight.

This was perfectly fine with the marksman who was quite happy where he was, and didn't really want to – um, interfere. The odds were unfair, anyway – the newcomers would need another two or three men at least to even stand a chance.

The men pulled their weapons, two swords, a pistol and – it looked like a spear; spreading out a bit to make a harder target. Zoro pulled two swords, obviously not thinking them worth the third – although Usopp suspected they didn't get the insult. It started slowly, awkwardly – each sizing up the others, then, when Zoro would engage one or two, the third would come at him from the side, or try to flank him. As soon as one was in danger of taking a hit, he would pull back and let the others take the lead.

He was pretty sure they were bounty hunters. At least, they didn't have any discernible chain of command, all jockeying for position, or possession of the bounty head.

The head in this case, being Zoro's.

Zoro, for his part, didn't seem overly worried – taking the fight at almost a leisurely pace: marking the men when they got close - waiting, it seemed, for them to realize they were biting off more than they could chew- not taking more than a scratch, himself.

The swordsman finally sheathed in preparation for a larger attack – obviously intent on engaging all at once, tired of the niggling advances of his opponents - then paused with a minute shudder. He shook his head as if trying to clear it, stumbled forward, paused – Usopp could see the men start to smirk, a hungry look on their faces, and Zoro staggered, trying to rush forward, and stumbled again…

And then he was down – and that couldn't be right, because they were just no-name attackers, shouldn't have stood a chance, let along be able to take Zoro down – and it had to be some kind of a trick, but it couldn't be, because Zoro wouldn't play tricks like that, it wasn't his style, would be dishonorable…

Then a man came out of the woods to join the others, gun slung over an arm, and Usopp hoped fervently that it had been drugs and not bullets – thinking the swordsman had been shot before, would keep his head if it was anything that didn't mess with it, unless—

The world seemed to shift, in that moment.

He would fantasize about it, every so often; coming to the rescue when Zoro was down, defenseless – past his limit, obviously – never outclassed, because no one could outclass the swordsman. But he would let himself get run down, and some day it might be too much, and then Usopp would be there.

He didn't think it would ever actually happen, but when he _did_ think about it, his chest would swell with pride, and he might – maybe just a little – swagger for a while.

He really, really never expected it to actually happen.

So when it did, he felt he was allowed a bit of shock.

– and then one of the men pulled a knife, and it was too real; they obviously weren't going to take a chance now that they had gotten him down, were going to finish him, and most of his mind was jabbering unintelligibly in panic, except for the quiet voice that asked, "Well? What have you been dreaming about all this time? Get to it…"

Then he was moving, faster than he could think, because if he thought he might freeze – and Kabuto was steady in his hand, shots away and true – the hunters scattered, surprised by the sudden attack, but unwilling to get too far from their prey.

Usopp took the chance, the opening and rushed in- too close, firing for distraction as he moved – and then Zoro was a solid, limp weight on his back. He didn't have time to check for life, spared a glance to count swords, hoped with all his being that this wasn't for nothing – and _ran_.

Evasion was something he was good at, lifted almost to an art form in his hands, and he let instinct guide his hand (feet) now. He went off the path a few times in his flight, using quick misleading tricks on his trail along the way - until he no longer heard pursuers behind him. Even then, he didn't slow – anxiety and adrenalin forcing him onward. He knew better than to allow himself a false sense of safety. If he were caught alone with an unconscious Zoro, they were as good as dead – and what kind of a rescue would that be?

Zoro,( who would be grateful and awed at his manly prowess, of course… if he had noticed it), was still largely out of it when he finally reached the ship – head lolling slightly, as if trying to fight his way back to consciousness – occasionally groaning faintly with the effort, then stilling again.

He handed his charge over to Chopper once he was safely on deck – warning Franky of possible pursuit. Usopp trailed behind the doctor as he fussed over and treated Zoro. It had been some kind of tranquilizer, the reindeer explained, relieved at his overall condition – Zoro had taken something like four shots, but his heartbeat was strong, so his system was handling it. He would be out for a bit, though – and Usopp opted to sit with him, while Franky and Chopper watched for any additional attacks, and the return of the rest of their crew.

While he waited for Zoro to wake, the marksman sat quietly in the clinic, aware of the other man, but mostly contemplating 'his first real rescue'.

He felt a little disappointed, really. This hadn't gone at all how he had planned, and he didn't feel the pride he had always imagined he would.

There was no battle won over Zoro's attackers – no glorious victory that he could brag about, or avengement of his fallen comrade: no battle at all really, just an escape – or, if he were being particularly kind to himself, an expedient and tactical retreat.

The payback, it seemed, belonged to his crewmates – Chopper came back after a few hours to check on Zoro, and explained that their attackers had been caught manning that other nondescript ship, quietly trying to slip out of port after their roundabout loss. He didn't ask for details, it was enough to know they hadn't gotten away with it; a certain relief coming with that knowledge – like his job had been done for him, even if he hadn't accomplished it.

It was a little embarrassing, though.

Now the adrenalin long worn off, he just felt tired and a little shaky, and if he thought about it too much, a little ashamed that all he managed to do was run.

At some point in his self-abasement, he noticed Zoro's eyes had opened a bit, regarding him steadily under heavy lids. Even that half a look made him stiffen, and he held his breath; he was sure he had been talking to himself off and on, figured the other man had gotten the gist of what happened while he was out. He hadn't taken down the whole group, just did enough to grab his crewmate and go – he hoped fervently he wasn't too much of a disappointment.

The quiet stretched out into minutes, and he felt like he was being weighed; quailed a bit under the look, but made no protest.

Then Zoro's throat worked for a moment, and finally he spoke softly. "You had my back?"

That look yet held him still, and he nodded mutely in answer.

Tired eyes closed once more with a small grunt of recognition, and Usopp's shoulders sagged under the weight of an expectation he hadn't matched…

Until – "Good", the swordsman said with some approval, and Usopp smiled.

Maybe he hadn't done too badly, after all.


End file.
